Virtue and Wine
by Counter Spark
Summary: Betrayal. Forbidden Love. Draco sexily eating an orange. Why is it we only want what we can't have? DMHG
1. Oranges

**Virtue and Wine**

**Summary-** Betrayal. Forbidden Love. Draco sexily eating an orange. Why is it we only want what we can't have? DM/HG

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**Chapter I**

_Mmmm, oranges. _

Draco licked his fingers in glee, savoring every precious remainder of his beloved fruit, feeling somewhat like a little schoolboy. His mouth became sticky with the delicious, sweet juice, his throat pleading for more. Hesitating on whether two oranges would be overkill, he furrowed his eyebrows and came to the conclusion that not only did he want another orange, he also wanted another one after that.

Groaning, he rose from his Italian leather sofa and began to lazily stagger towards the kitchen. Oranges always went good with wine, he thought, bottle in hand. He squinted as he opened the refrigerator, smiling at the sight of a bowl, filled to the brim with oranges. _Fresh, orangey oranges._

She had always loved oranges. It had always annoyed him, the way she constantly had orange juice dripping down her lips(but he did enjoy licking it off). She had been shocked when he told her he much preferred apples, and he, of course, got her started on a mission to convert him. It was obvious that she had succeeded with flying colors. Merlin, she could do anything she set her mind to. Or anyone.

It was so strange, the way he used oranges to remember her. It was like a substitute to her presence, even though eating an orange was nothing compared to the ecstasy of her company. Not that she was dead or anything...she was just gone. They had known it was "forbidden" the moment they'd found themselves attracted to one another, but Draco was pretty sure he knew what he wanted, and he was equally sure he didn't care about the consequences. It was his spoiled nature.

Their relationship most certainly was not the average relationship. It wasn't a sudden, _"Hey, you're pretty hot, let's go out" _type of deal. It wasn't even a, _"Hey, I like you general" _situation. It was more like a, _"Hey, I hate your guts and want to kill you" _scenario. And that's what made the whole thing so appealing. The way she tried to hide her fear of him whenever he came near, the way she tried to be loyal to Potter and the Weasel. Yet, she was the only one who cared. And he loved her for it.

Collapsing onto his sofa once more, he smiled at the orange in one hand and a half-empty bottle of really old wine in the other. He sprawled his legs on the arm of the sofa, knocked back a long gulp of wine and began to peel the orange.

It was funny how he loved her, and at the same time, hated her entire being. He loved her for showing him how to feel, and he hated her for making him feel so vulnerable. He loved her for letting him know she was there, and he hated her for having to keep what they had a secret. He loved her when she promised him she would never leave, but when it came down to the wire, she was gone. He hated her for making him feel like a fool. Like she had just chewed him up and spit him out. He always felt like he was the Sonny to her Cher. And he also hated her for putting all these damn Muggle pop-culture references in his head.

Somewhere he knew she wouldn't do this to him, but somewhere else told him that she most definitely would. Meanwhile, some other part was telling him that her being gone was the only way for her to be happy. But, did he want her to be happy, while he was here, drowning out his sorrows with liquor? Did he want her to be happy when happiness meant being in the arms of some other man?

He hated these kinds of nights. The nights when he ached for her.

Sighing, he threw the orange peel over his shoulder and began to take apart the fruit, slice by slice.

Maybe he was better off alone. Although he most heavily doubted that.

"Draco?"

"AH!" He shrieked and toppled over onto the ground, bolting up in frenzy with his wand trembling in his in hand. At the sight of her, his heart skipped a beat. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?" He loosened his grip on the wand and his hand fell limply to the side. "Don't do that."

The witch grinned and placed her hands on her hips. She was covered in black. Black pants, black shirt, black gloves. A dark angel, lovely but yet fierce. It all looked somewhat suspicious. "And it's nice to see you too, Draco."

"-What are you doing here?" It was obvious he was trying his best not to look at her. He tried his best to deny that she was still beautiful. How he hated her for that.

She cocked her head at him and let her eyes fall to the orange on the carpeted floor. "Oranges, eh?" She walked over slowly and picked one up, glancing at Malfoy, who was staring at her with some undetectable look in his eyes. She shrugged. "I never believed in that whole three-second rule thing," the witch grinned and popped a slice in her mouth. "You know I love oranges." She stared at him with a sort of masked longing.

:"You marry him yet?" He was pleased with the look of confusion plastered on her face. "The Weasel?" He sneered at her, his face cold. "Did you marry him?"

She shook her head slowly and quietly answered, "No."

"Well, by now I figured you'd snogged him pretty good. I figured you guys would've got married and had little weasel babies!" He knelt down and picked up an orange slice, slowly popping it into his mouth. He held it in his mouth for a moment, letting the sweet juice spread over his tongue.

She rolled her eyes and turned her back to him. "I just wanted to see you, okay? Is that so hard to accept, or are you going to accuse me for the rest of my life?" She turned to face him again. "I missed you."

"Hermione, Hermione," he chuckled, swallowing his orange, "You still take me for some stupid bloke?" He picked up the bottle of wine from the floor and took a quick swig. "I don't buy your sincerity for a second. You want something, so spill. Don't waste my time."

"Oh, and sitting around drinking all day is the best way to spend your time?" She quipped, drawing closer to him. "The only thing I wanted was to see you. Apparently, you're too bitter and drunk to be appreciative."

"Oh, well thank you Hermione Granger for coming to see me!" He spit out every word bitterly, anger rising in his voice. "You are just the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful person-"

"-Shut up!" She gritted her teeth at him. Draco was now still, staring at her in bewilderment. "How many times do I have to tell _you? _It's the best for both of us this way."

"Yeah, as you can see, my life is just _wonderful, _thanks for making such a huge sacrifice for me!" Laughing, he took a long, deep gulp of the wine, trying desperately to drown out the pain. "Just leave."

"Don't make me do this, Draco," she muttered distinctly.

"Get out!"

She responded by pointing her wand at him and shouting "_Stupefy_!"

It all happed in slow motion; he was catapulted into the air and fell on a rather expensive collection of old figurines his mother had collected. The whole house was filled with the ominous sound of breaking glass. She stood there in the now silent room for a second, contemplating what she had done. Horror-struck, she ran to Draco and knelt down beside him, brushing the hair out of his face delicately with her fingers, caressing his cheek. Her heart leapt at the familiarity of her skin against his. "I'm sorry," she sniffled. "But that was the only way I could get you to shut up. I need to get you out of here."

She conjured up a stretcher and lifted him up onto it, gently fawning over him, still horrified by what she had done. What she had to do.

"Draco," she said softly, "the Order is coming."

**A/N**- So, what cha think? I actually took time with this one, I wasn't so eager to just chuck out a story! In regards to the rating, right now we are very "T for teen", but, we'll just see what the future holds giggle, giggle This story is very much a romance with an angsty sheen to it, with a little bit of humorous narration thrown into the mix. Hopefully you dig it, as the kids say, and you feel an overwhelming desire to tell me what you think!Also,I have deleted my story**"No One's Gonna Come"** because I think it could've been so much better, and I just wasn't happy with itbecause I chucked it out on a whim.Thankfully I've learned my lesson and I'm now taking time with what I put out. And SCHOOL(hell) IS OUT, so I have time for all this!YOWZA!

CharlieTookLeaf


	2. Working Girl

**A/N: **No, in the words of that old guy in 'Monty Python', I'm not dead yet. Yes, it has taken me about...give or take seven months to update...but you know how it is. Anyway, I whipped up another delicious, orangey serving of it for you guys. Enjoy it, as they say, and review it.

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**Chapter II**

_Draco, why do you torture me so?_

She always saw herself as innocent. Oblivious to death, oblivious to violence- oblivious to just about anything that didn't have to do with her schoolwork. But when the war started, she couldn't continue to wonder around in her clean and pure world- she had to face the real one. And the real one wasn't innocent at all.

Somehow, the pressures of the real world had brought her into this very much disturbing scenario. Draco Malfoy was tied up and unconscious in the middle of her apartment floor.

Hermione hastily unzipped her black leather jacket, eyes darting across the room. Recent events had made her much more vigilant. The room was empty of intruders, thus the room was safe. Hermione chuckled to herself in an almost sinister tone. A cold and empty room with a man tied up, unconscious in the corner was what was now considered safe to her. Oh, the irony.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror; baffled at how unlike herself she looked at the moment. Half-dressed in black leather, boots strapped to her knee cap, hair akimbo. All she needed was a pair of handcuffs and a whip. She looked like a sadomasochistic disaster.

When they had first started whatever you would call their sick and twisted relationship, she, somewhere in the watery depths of her mind, had a hunch he was into the kink. I mean, after all, he seemed to be lingering towards the darker side of the spectrum when it came to just about everything else. Imagine her surprise when she found out he was actually a gentle lover.

Well, to be more precise, the entire way he carried himself was surprising. The way he _fooled _people; I mean literally made them look like complete babbling idiots, made her O.W.L scores look dismissible. It was like a mystery with him. You didn't know if you were going to get the 'Death Eater Malfoy' side of him or the 'Hermione, I love you and I'll never leave you' side of him. He always hungered for control and feared vulnerability, so he rarely showed the second side of him. He was a multi-faceted man, some might say. But she knew him.

She pitched her boots to the side of the bed and tossed her black robe over her head in a very hurried manner, tripping over loosely scattered and misplaced objects on her floor of her flat. Merlin, she was starting to lose her organization skills. He had _really_ rubbed off on her. It was scary sometimes, even after all this time she would find herself cursing and sneering like she herself was the spawn of Lucius Malfoy. It was oddly comforting. It made her feel like she still had a piece of him with her. Draco, that is.

He was starting to stir.

Heart pounding in chest, she buttoned the top button of her blouse and stuck her wand in her pocket. She had to get out of here now; recently the Order hadn't stood for lateness and if Draco woke up now he would certainly demand to know what was going on and why he was bound in the corner, she was assured to be exactly that. Late. Hesitating, she drew out a quill and a ripped piece of parchment.

000

He thought he smelled oranges.

He also thought he wouldn't be waking up, bound and stuffed into the corner of a small and dark room. Apparently he was wrong there, considering he _was_ in a small and dark room, bound. But, he had been right about the oranges. The entire floor was littered with orange peels. His own breath was reeking of it as well.

It was after this observation that the fact of his being bound in the corner of a foreign room really hit him.

"Hello?"

The room was too dark for his comfort, save for the faint, orange light squeezing it's way through the window from the streetlamp below.

Streetlamp. That meant civilization.

He was inching his way over towards the window when he realized there was a small, torn piece of parchment lying in the middle of his lap. Displaying some very tactful skill in balancing, he scooted his bottom along the carpet towards the window while holding the parchment between his knees, both done so in a very hasty fashion. Slowly, the orange light crept onto the parchment, revealing a message in drippy, black ink.

_Draco,_

_Yes, you are bound in my flat. I'll come back for you, don't worry._

_-Hermione_

_P.S. - We're raiding your house tonight._

"Lovely," he murmured under his breath.

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She never liked riding on broomsticks. It was something about the way the wind hit her face so hard it hurt. Not to mention the fact that she did not particularly enjoy dangling one hundred feet up in the air. The night sky was a dark blue tonight, illuminated by the large crescent moon lingering above her. Her knuckles were clammy and white, clutching the end of her broomstick far more tightly than necessary.

She hadn't always been like this when it came to the art of riding a broomstick. Her phobia didn't really come full circle until she fell off one about three years ago. Draco had insisted they go for a fly, and her, at the time being quite alright with broomsticks, agreed. He, of course, had never flown with a passenger, and had no idea how to control the broomstick correctly in order to not pitch the other person off the end. It took a full three seconds of her hurdling through the air before he realized she was gone. Of course he panicked and raced towards the ground, met her halfway, and caught her heroically. Needless to say, she wasn't pleased. She held to him so tightly from then on, and now she didn't have anything to cling to except the wood.

Harry could tell she was distracted. Ron, being as daft as he was when it came to studying people, had no clue. But Harry did. And it was bothering her. She glanced over her shoulder at him during the entire span of their ride, only stopping when they were on Draco Malfoy's lawn.

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**A/N: **Next time we'll catch up with Harry and Ron (groan). I know, I would love to write about Malfoy and Hermione all day, but we have to have a back story! At least you have the raiding of the Malfoy Manor to look forward to?

Spark


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